Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chip discharge device of a machine tool provided with a coolant tank, which stores coolant, and a chip conveyor, which discharges chips to the outside of the machine.
Description of the Related Art
In this kind of chip discharge devices, most of the chips generated by machining a work are discharged to the outside of the machine, but there is a case where a part of the chips, specifically fine powdery chips, is accumulated in a bottom wall of a coolant tank. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly discharge the powdery chips inside the coolant tank, and also, it is necessary to discharge the coolant from the inside of the tank in order to replace the coolant. However, in this discharge process, when the water level of the coolant is close to the bottom wall, it becomes difficult to flow, so that there is a problem that the part of the coolant easily remains inside the tank.
In order to perform the discharge process of such chips or coolant in a short period of time, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-12603 (see FIG. 4), the configuration in which the bottom wall of the coolant tank is inclined in approximately V-shape is employed.
As such conventional devices, when the configuration in which the bottom wall of the coolant tank is inclined, in comparison with the configuration in which the bottom wall is flat, there are problems that it takes time and effort to provide the inclined bottom wall and the cost increases.
The description herein of advantages and disadvantages of various features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed in other publications is in no way intended to limit the present invention. For example, certain features of the preferred described embodiments of the invention may be capable of overcoming certain disadvantages and/or providing certain advantages, such as, e.g., disadvantages and/or advantages discussed herein, while retaining some or all of the features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed therein.